Description of Historic Place

The E. Leonard & Sons Building is a brick two-storey Italianate industrial building with three large segmented arch openings at the second level and an entrance at the south end of the storefront. It is located on Water Street within the Trinity Royal Heritage Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The E. Leonard & Sons Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the Great Saint John Fire of 1877, for its architecture and for its association with E. Leonard & Sons.

The E. Leonard & Sons Building is recognized as an expression of the significance of the rebuilding of a Saint John district after the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. The building is located in the Trinity Royal Heritage Preservation Area which was recognized by the City of Saint John in 1982. This building is part of a collection of commercial and residential, Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two-thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by the fire. This building serves as a reminder of that fire and the strong will of the residents of Saint John to rebuild the city. It is an example of Italianate industrial architecture from the rebuilding period in Saint John. The brick architecture sent a message that the city would be more fire resistant in the future and the elements and design in this building as well as the rest of the collection demonstrate that the city was going to be rebuilt as well or better than the city that was lost.

The E. Leonard & Sons Building is also recognized for its 64 year association with E. Leonard & Sons. The building was built in 1885 as a freight shed for the New Brunswick Railway but by 1888 the building was vacant. E. Leonard and Sons acquired the building in 1890 and remained here until 1954. This company from Ontario derived its name from Elijah Leonard, pioneer iron founder and builder of Western Ontario's first steam engine. G. H. Evans was the original manager of the Saint John branch of this firm. Leonard boilers were household names throughout Canada in the early part of the 20th century. The firm manufactured top quality boilers in this building and also manufactured engines and pulleys. This company was bought out by John-Leonard Thompson in 1955 and soon after went out of business.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the E. Leonard & Sons Building include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- brick exterior walls;
- proportioned window and entrance placement;
- corbel brackets under the cornice;
- segmented arch openings on the second storey;
- large 2/2 windows;
- street-level storefront with brick bulkheads, cast iron pilasters and paired wood-panelled doors.